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Shadi Skaf followed in the footsteps of Hamza Kheir, Bilal Najjarin and Akram Moghrabi to become the latest Lebanese recruit for Churchill Brothers. Attending a virtual press conference alongside head coach Petre Gigiu, he spoke to the media about the upcoming I-League season.
“I did my research and spoke to a few of my countrymen who had played for the club before and they told me it is one big family, from president to the players,” he said. “I feel at home and that makes it easier to train hard.”
Skaf made it clear about the kind of mentality Churchill Brothers would need throughout the season to have any kind of success at the end.
“For me, the target is not one trophy at the end, it is 18 trophies from 18 matches. If we have this mentality of 18 finals, we will do well by the end,” he asserted.
Gigiu, in his second spell as head coach of the club, echoed the Lebanese defender’s thoughts and put emphasis on actions over words.
“A lot of coaches talk about good preparations before the season but only the results will show how good our preparations were,” he said.
The Goan side have a good mix of experience and youth at their disposal and the Romanian Gigiu expects the younger players to get up to speed with the rigours of the I-League.
“This a younger squad than when I was first here, with more local players. They do not have as much experience so they will need to be on their toes,” he said.
Midfielder Bryce Miranda had recently been selected for the India U-23 squad for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers but Gigiu does not want to single any player out for praise.
“The games come fast at this level and they need to adapt to the speed and aggression quickly,” he said. “It is not just about Bryce but also Wendell, Kingsley and the rest of the young players.”
